Museums and More

Educational Adventures

Edutainment Although Bill Lucey, director of RainForest Adventures Discovery Zoo, may not have coined the phrase, he has made it his mission to both educate and entertain those who walk through the doors of his indoor zoo in Sevierville, Tenn. “RainForest Adventures takes its role in edutainment very seriously,” said Lucey, a Zoos & Aquarium Buyers Group (ZAG) member. “We look for like-minded suppliers, as well as other zoos, museums and aquariums that share our passion.” When you walk through the doors, the first place you will find yourself is in the 2,800-square-foot gift shop, giving you the first taste of the tropical adventure look and feel of RainForest Adventures. A heavy emphasis on an ancient ruins theme for the exhibits is carried over to the walls of tropical plush, racks of souvenir apparel and shelves of rainforest discovery tools. Sustainability is a strong goal of RainForest…  » Read more

---

Indiana Historic Museum

History is a lot about numbers, and the Indiana Historic Museum Gift Shop in Indianapolis is no exception. The original museum opened in 1862 with the most recent move to its current location in 2002. The modern museum features a two-level store, both tiers filled with products showcasing the history and splendor of Indiana. There are three ways to purchase product — in-store, by phone and online. The possibilities? Endless. “Our store is unique in the way that it has two-levels,” said Kristin Peterson, manager of retail services. “It’s nice in the way of presentation and space, but it creates challenges with staffing issues. We always have to have at least three people working at all times to ensure that both levels are staffed and that we an extra ’floater’ for relieving people.” As a whole, the store showcases products from Indiana artisans and businesses. Those who…  » Read more

---

The Write Stuff

Pens and paper. It’s a combination that seems as natural as peanut butter and jelly, mashed potatoes and gravy, peanuts and Cracker Jacks. The only problem is that the sale of postcards, stationery and pens often is overlooked in specialty retail stores for the simple fact that it seems, well, too simple. Even in today’s age of technology, everyone needs pens and paper and everyone has them somewhere around the house or office. This brings up a couple good points to ponder when looking at your retail. If everyone has basic pens and paper already, they had to buy it somewhere at some time. If everyone has basic pens and paper already, why should they buy it from you? The answer to both of these questions is simple: Because you can offer them something unique and special not found at the basic corner store; because…  » Read more

---